Category: USA

Thanks to WorldVitalRecords from MyHeritage, I may have just found a RETTIE who served with the 12th Ohio Cavalry during the American Civil War.

Mustered In

Louis RETTIE was (allegedly) 18 when he enlisted on 1 Sep 1863 in Company E of the 12th Ohio Cavalry.1,4 This company was recruited from the Highland, Mahoning and Summit counties of Ohio.2 The 12th Ohio Cavalry was organized at Camp Taylor in Cleveland, Ohio and mustered in on 24 Nov 1863 for a three year period of service under the command of Colonel Robert W. Ratliff.2,3 The regiment was involved in the Battles of Cynthiana and Saltville I and II.3(As an aside, there’s an interesting article here on the Saltville Massacre).

Mustered Out

Sadly, having outlived the end of the war, the young Private RETTIE drowned a few months afterwards on 1 Sep 1865 in the Tennessee River at Pen Hook Ferry, Tennessee.1,4 Perhaps the rider and his horse were swept away by the current whilst attempting to ford the river? Or perhaps the ferry itself got into difficulties?

Around the time of this tragic incident, the regiment was attached to Cavalry Brigade, District East Tennessee from Jul 1865 to Nov 1865 and it saw duty in middle Tennessee, eastern Tennessee, and North Carolina.2,3 The 12th Ohio Cavalry mustered out of service on 14 Nov 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee.2,3

Questions

Q. Was his name really Louis RETTIE?1 An alternative source says it is Lewis RETTY!4 Clearly one or both of the transcribers has it wrong.

Q. Was the location of his death really Pen Hook Ferry?1 Again we have a transcription issue, with the alternative source saying Pin-hook Ferry.4

Q. Where exactly is Pen Hook/Pin-hook Ferry? There is a Pen Hook Road near Monterey in Tennessee, but it’s a long way from the river. However, I can find ‘Pin Hook Road’, ‘East Pin Hook Road’ and ‘South Pin Hook Road’ about 14 miles due West of Sparta, TN – the last of which leads down to the Tennessee River…

Q. Where was Louis born and who were his parents? I’m currently looking through the 1850 census rolls for the 3 counties where Company E was recruited from…

Sources

The Roster Commission, Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, vol. 11 (Akron, Ohio: The Werner Printing & Lithographing Company, 1891), p. 600, http://archive.org/details/officialrosterof11ohio. This source says ‘Louis RETTIE‘ drowned at ‘Pen Hook Ferry’.

F.H. Mason, The Twelfth Ohio Cavalry: A Record of Its Organization and Services in the War of the Rebellion, Together with a Complete Roster of the Regiment. (Cleveland, Ohio: Nevins Steam Printing House, 1871), p. 18, https://sites.google.com/site/lstevens5300/. This source says ‘Lewis RETTY‘ drowned at ‘Pin-hook Ferry’.

Thanks to my new membership of the Guild of One-Name Studies, I just discovered a couple of (legitimate!) web sites which reveal the popularity of a given surname.

The United States Census Bureau has a downloadable zip file containing all surnames with more than 100 entries in the 2000 Census.RETTIE ranks =111,119 with 147 people.

Surnames of England and Wales – the ONS list is an extract of an Office of National Statistics database, and contains a list of surnames in use in England, Wales and the Isle of Mann in September 2002.RETTIE ranks =28,353 with 128 people.

Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a page providing surname statistics from the Scotland Census…not to mention Canada, Australia, etc. Does anyone have these URL’s?

Sounds like a diplomatic manoeuvre to provoke a war in some far flung corner of the world, no?

Whilst perusing the United States National Archives, I came across an interesting series of telegrams between the State Department in Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala:

17 Jul 1975

FM AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7414

SUBJECT: DEATH AND ESTATES

PLEASE INFORM NEXT-OF-KIN OF GEORGE WESTON RETTIE, BORN APRIL 4, 1908, AT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS OF DEATH OF SUBJECT
AT AMATITLAN GUATEMALA ON JULY 15, 1975 OF INFART OF
THE MYOCARDIUM. NEXT-OF-KIN ROBERT V. RETTIE, BROTHER,
910 E. PATTERSON ST., TAMPA, FLORIDA. BURIAL HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE AT LOCAL CEMETERY IN AMATITLAN, GUATEMALA WITHIN 24 HOURS AFTER DEATH AS REQUIRED BY GUATEMALAN LAW.

18 Jul 1975

FM AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7438

FOR: ROBERT V. RETTIE
910 E. PATTERSON ST.,
TAMPA, FLORIDA

SUBJECT: DEATH AND ESTATES

REGRET TO INFORM YOU OF DEATH YOUR BROTHER GEORGE WESTON RETTIE, AT AMATITLAN GUATEMALA ON JULY 15, 1975 OF INFART OF THE MYOCARDIUM. BURIAL HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE AT LOCAL CEMETERY IN AMATITLAN, GUATEMALA WITHIN 24 HOURS AFTER DEATH IS REQUIRED BY GUATEALAN LAW. DEATH REPORTED TO EMBASSY BY FRIEND ROBERT HOTCHKISS.

So, U.S. citizen George Weston RETTIE dies in Guatemala on 15 Jul 1975 and his death is reported to the Embassy there by Robert HOTCHKISS. The Embassy sends a telegram asking the State Department in Washington to inform his next of kin Robert V. RETTIE. It seems that none other than Henry KISSINGER replies, abruptly telling the Embassy to do it themselves! [KISSINGER was U.S. Secretary of State from 22 Sep 1973 – 20 Jan 1977].

Then there is a further tragic news:

29 Jul 1975

FM AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7166

SUBJECT: DEATH AND ESTATES

1. PLEASE INFORM MRS. KATHERINE HOTCHKISS, 2920 N.W. 18 AVENUE, APT. 11-B, MIAMI, FLORIDA OF DEATH OF SON ROBERT HOTCHKISS, WHO WAS DROWNED AT LAKE AMATITLAN, GUATEMALA JULY 28.

2. AS LOCAL AUTHORITIES REQUIRE PROMPT ARRANGEMENTS, FOLLOWING ESTIMATES ARE PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION AND PLANNING. PUBLIC HOSPITAL WILL BURY AT NO COST. PREPARATION AND AIR SHIPMENT TO U.S. $1250. CREMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE IN GUATEMALA. SHOULD TELEGRAPH FUNDS AND/OR INSTRUCTION TO DIRECTOR, SPECIAL CONSULAR SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON D.C. 20520. INCLUDE IN MESSAGE NAME AND ADDRESS OF FUNERAL HOME IN U.S. IF SHIPMENT DESIRED, MAKE TELEGRAPHIC MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO DEPARTMENT OF STATE. IF SHIPMENT DESIRED, NOK MAY PREFER TO HAVE LOCAL FUNERAL HOME MAKE ALL ARRANGEMENTS IN CONFORMANCE WITH THIS MESSAGE. UPON RECEIPT OF REQUIRED FUNDS INSTRUCTION WILL BE CARRIED OUT AS PROMPTLY AS CIRCUMSTANCES PERMIT.

3. IN VISIT TO THIS EMBASSY LAST WEEK REGARDING REPORT OF DEATH FOR FRIEND GEORGE RETTIE, SUBJECT PRESENTED COPY HIS OWN WILL INDICATING IN EVENT OF DEATH ABROAD HE DID NOT WISH TO BE RETURNED TO U.S. FOR BURIAL.

4. LATEST INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO EMBASSY IS THAT INTERMENT MUST TAKE PLACE BY 13:00 HOURS LOCAL TIME JULY 29 IF OTHER INSTRUCTIONS NOT RECEIVED PRIOR THAT TIME.

30 Jul 1975

FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA IMMEDIATE

SUBJECT:DEATH OF HOTCHKISS

1. MRS. HOTCHKISS ADVISED DEPARTMENT THAT SON WISHED BE BURIED WITH RETTIE IF CREMATION NOT POSSIBLE AND THAT SHE WILLING PAY COST IF BURIAL HAS NOT ALREADY TAKEN PLACE. ACCORDING MRS. HOTCHKISS, COST OF RETTIE’S BURIAL WAS SIXTY DOLLARS. FYI:MOTHER STATED DECEASED HAD EXPRESSED DESIRE TO DIE WITH RETTIE.

2. MOTHER HAS DECEASED’S WILL OF WHICH SHE IS EXECUTRIX. SHE ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN DECEASED’S JOURNEY LOGS AND REQUESTS INVENTORY OF EFFECTS BE SENT TO HER ASAP.

So it seems that Robert HOTCHKISS was so upset at his friend George RETTIE’s death that he took his own life. And it emerges that he had told his mother of his wish to be buried with his friend and that he had no desire to be repatriated to the USA in the event of his death abroad. I wonder why the antipathy towards his homeland? And could the friends have been lovers?

Well, one thing is certain and that is that the friends were inventors!

Interestingly, the patent applications show the friends living at the same address together in North Miami Beach, Florida. We also learn that Robert’s middle initial was D.

Genealogy Data

George Weston RETTIE was born 04 Apr 1908 in Illinois and died 15 Jul 1975 in Guatemala.4 His parents were Robert M RETTIE (born about 1880 in Michigan) and Mary C VEIRS (born about 1882 Canada).1,2,3,4 George had an older brother called Robert (born about 1905) and a younger sister called Doris (born about 1913).1,2,3 His father Robert M RETTIE was born on 08 Apr 1878 in Michigan and died on 05 Feb 1973 in Florida.5

Robert D HOTCHKISS was born 26 Mar 1929 in New York and died 28 Jul 1975 in Guatemala.7 His parents were Frank and Katherine (both born about 1905 in New York).6 Robert had an older sister Betty (born about 1925 in New York).6